Category: Newcastle News

A third man has been charged over his alleged involvement in a fatal shooting in Port Stephens in August this year.
About 1.45pm on Sunday 29 August 2021, emergency services were called to Hideaway Drive, Salt Ash, following reports a white Ford Ranger utility had hit a tree.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended along with NSW Ambulance paramedics and located a male driver suffering a fatal gunshot wound.
He was later identified as 45-year-old David King.
A short time later, officers located a burnt-out white Santa Fe located on Masonite Road, Heatherbrae, which police believe is allegedly linked to the shooting.
Detectives established Strike Force Breve to investigate the incident, with assistance from State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad.
On Friday 5 November 2021, two men – aged 27 and 39 – were arrested and charged. They are currently before the courts.
Following further inquiries, about 9am today (Friday 12 November 2021), police arrested a 26-year-old man at Grafton Police Station.
He was charged with murder, take/detain person in company without to obtain advantage, possess shortened firearm (not pistol) without authority and aggravated sex assault- offender in company with other person/s.
Police will allege in court that after shooting David King, the men fled the scene in a white Santa Fe, where the 26-year-old man allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in the car without her consent. The car was then allegedly set on fire and destroyed.
The 26-year-old appeared in Grafton Local Court today where he was refused bail, to reappear in Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 20 December 2021.

The unexpected beauty that can be found in the microscopic elements of the natural world will be on show at Newcastle Art Gallery as part of an exhibition that celebrates the 40-year career of Adelaide artist Angela Valanamesh.
Angela Valamanesh: About being here is an exploration of the interconnectedness of life on earth and the links between humans, animals and plants.

The exhibition is presented by JamFactory as part of their Icon series, which celebrates the achievements of South Australia’s most influential artists working in craft-based media.
While Valanamesh is primarily known for her intriguing biomorphic ceramic sculptures, which use abstract forms to invoke the shapes and patterns of living things, this exhibition will survey the breadth and depth of her artistic practice, including evocative drawings, watercolours, and mixed media works created from the late 1990s until the present.
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said the touring exhibition will be augmented with works by Valamanesh from the gallery’s own highly regarded collection, giving visitors an even broader appreciation of her art.
“Newcastle Art Gallery is proud to be the custodian one of the most valuable art collections in regional Australia, which presents a comprehensive overview of Australian art from colonial times to the present day and is worth $115 million,” Ms Morton said.
“Our collection includes several works by renowned Adelaide artist Angela Valanamesh, and we are thrilled to be able to showcase these when we welcome this wonderful exhibition to Newcastle.”

Valamanesh’s artworks elicit intrigue and a strong sense of personal investigation as she manipulates seemingly familiar anatomical, botanical and parasitic forms in beguiling and unusual ways.
Her drawings, ceramic objects, and watercolours are the result of an incredible depth of research, referencing complex scientific, historic, and philosophical ideas. The works suggest ambiguity and present a strong sense of personal investigation.
Angela Valamanesh: About being here will be on display at Newcastle Art Gallery from 13 November 2021 – 30 January 2022, with a special online artist talk on Thursday 18 November.
JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here is a JamFactory touring exhibition and has been assisted by the South Australian Government through the Department for Innovation and Skills and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, Contemporary Touring Initiative.
Angela Valamanesh acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts. Angela Valamanesh is represented by GAG PROJECTS, Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide and Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Sydney.

A man reported missing from East Maitland has been located.
The 24-year-old was last seen leaving his home on David Avenue, East Maitland, yesterday (Wednesday 11 November 2021).
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District were alerted of the missing man and commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.
Following inquiries, the man was located at Clarence Town about 10.30am today (Thursday 11 November 2021).
Police would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance.

Finding a park near the city’s beaches and baths will soon become easier thanks to smart technology that will allow drivers to view available spaces before leaving the house.
City of Newcastle Interim Director Strategy and Engagement Kathleen Hyland said smart sensors have been installed at almost 800 car parks as part of a plan to make better use of smart parking technology.
“Newcastle is home to amazing beaches, which are enjoyed by locals and visitors alike and we want to make accessing them easier through the use of smart parking technology,” Ms Hyland said.
“By installing smart parking sensors, we’ll be able to provide real time data to the Easypark and City of Newcastle apps to allow motorists to use their smartphone and determine the best location to drive and find a park ahead of their visit to our beaches and baths.”
Smart parking sensors have recently been installed along Scenic Drive, Henderson Drive, Merewether Baths, Merewether Beach, Dixon Park, Bar Beach, Strzelecki Lookout and Newcastle Baths and will be integrated to the Easypark and City of Newcastle apps in the coming months. Smart parking sensors have been trialled at Strzelecki Lookout since 2017.
This approach is in line with City of Newcastle’s Parking Plan and builds upon multiple pieces of smart city infrastructure, leveraging investment in a sensor network, data platforms and apps, which help the community make informed decisions and navigate the city.
Elsewhere in Newcastle, a new car park on Wharf Road across from Scratchleys has recently been completed, which increases the existing car park from 42 to 73 spaces and nine new motorcycle spaces.

An Australian-first pilot program will allow 3,000 households in Newcastle to recycle aluminium coffee pods through their kerbside bins.
Households participating in the Curby Coffee Capsule trial will receive a specially designed bright orange bag to collect their used aluminium capsules, which they can then place in their kerbside recycling bins for collection.
City of Newcastle joins Mosman and Willoughby Councils in Sydney to be the first Australian councils to trial the scheme, which is being run by Australian recyclers iQ Renew and CurbCycle.
The trial will provide vital insights to help inform the development of a national coffee capsule recycling scheme, which is being developed in collaboration with Planet Ark.
City of Newcastle Manager of Waste Services Troy Uren said the trial would add to the suite of waste-recovery initiatives in Newcastle, which are all designed to reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill.
“A survey of more than 500 Newcastle residents last year found 98% felt it was important to divert waste from landfill,” Mr Uren said.
“City of Newcastle already has a number of well-received waste-reduction initiatives and is in the process of researching and designing its new generation recycling collection systems, which include the development of a new Materials Recovery Facility at the Summerhill Waste Management Centre. A key pillar to this approach is identifying key partners in the industry, which will allow us to offer innovative and flexible services to cater for changes over time in what and how we recycle.
“With the introduction of the Curby Coffee Capsule trial, we’re pleased to offer residents an opportunity to become involved with another innovative solution to increase resource recovery at the kerbside.”
Paul Klymenko, Planet Ark CEO congratulated City of Newcastle for taking part in the program.
“It is great to see this trial occurring and we want to thank all the collaboration partners for making this possible,” Mr Klymenko said.
“By providing their communities with the additional option of kerbside collection it will allow more people to recycle their coffee capsules and contribute to creating a circular economy.”
Under the ‘Curby’ trial, the capsules will be separated from other recycling at iQ Renew’s Materials Recovery Facility at Somersby and transferred to the existing Nespresso recycling system in NSW for separating into coffee grounds and aluminium. From here, the aluminium will go to aluminium producers, saving 95% of the energy required to source aluminium from scratch, with coffee grounds going to local commercial compost.
iQ Renew CEO Danial Gallagher said the trial shows community’s desire for new kerbside recycling solutions using the yellow lidded bin.
“The trial is proving that we can harvest the Curby bag containing aluminium capsules at the recycling facility,” Mr Gallagher said.
“The number of the bags received at the MRF during the trial so far has been very encouraging and we look forward to receiving even more volume from City of Newcastle households.”
With funding for the trial provided by Nespresso, General Manager Jean-Marc Dragoli said the company’s experience in developing similar recycling schemes overseas had shown that convenience is king when it comes to the success of recycling.
“We need to make it as easy as possible for people to get their used capsules recycled, and we know kerbside recycling is the easiest path. We hope that this increases the amount of capsules we can collect and process for a better future,” Mr Dragoli said.
Participation in the trial is limited to the first 3,000 households in Newcastle that sign up before 10 December. Interested residents can register at www.curbythebilby.com.au/coffeecapsules or via the Curby App at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

A man has been charged as part of an ongoing investigation into a house fire in Lake Macquarie last week.
About 6.30pm on Friday (5 November 2021), officers from Lake Macquarie Police District responded to reports of a house fire on Park Avenue, Argenton.
On arrival, police attempted to speak to the occupant – a 59-year-old man ¬– in the home.
The man confronted police with a knife and retreated into the house, which was alight.
A short time later, police assisted the man from the home and rendered first aid, before NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived and treated the man at the scene.
He was taken to John Hunter Hospital suffering burns to his face, shoulders, and torso, before being transported to Royal North Shore Hospital.
Fire & Rescue NSW officers extinguished the blaze, before a crime scene was established and examined by specialist forensic officers.
Strike Force Janet has been established, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Following inquiries, investigators attended Royal North Shore Hospital on Sunday (7 November 2021), and charged a 59-year-old man with six offences, including;
• damage property by fire/explosion,
• enter prescribed premises of any person without lawful excuse,
• use offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, and
• destroy or damage property (x2).
The man was refused bail and appeared at Belmont Local Court today (Wednesday 10 November 2021). He is next due to reappear at Toronto Local Court on Tuesday 23 November 2021.
The incident is no longer being treated as a critical incident and investigations under Strike Force Janet are continuing.

Scott Morrison likes to have the red-carpet rolled out for him when he visits the Hunter region, because for him it’s always about the photo-op and never the follow-up.
The people of the Hunter region want and deserve real leadership. They want solutions, not more spin, scams and so called ‘plans’ that go nowhere.
But from this Prime Minister, that’s all they get.
Whether it’s local jobs, essential healthcare services, or critical infrastructure projects, the Hunter has been forgotten by the Morrison-Joyce Government.
If Scott Morrison was any friend of the Hunter, here’s what he would do today:

1. Work collaboratively with the NSW Government to allow the Port of Newcastle to realise its full potential;
2. Put an end to the threat of oil and gas drilling off our coastline posed by PEP-11 once and for all;
3. Save our GP Access After Hours service – with proper funding and resources to ensure the sustainability of this essential healthcare service in our region;
4. Apologise for stuffing up the vaccine rollout leading to the NSW Liberal National Government stealing our vaccines;
5. Provide the skills and infrastructure needed to develop hydrogen production and export;
6. And accelerate investment in crucial road infrastructure projects.

No more empty talk Mr Morrison. It’s time to deliver.
Any failure to do so, will be a very heavy burden for the Hunter region’s social and economic prosperity.

The Civic Theatre is putting on the glitz this week as it shakes off the shackles of lockdown to welcome audiences back into the iconic Newcastle venue.
The 92-year-old theatre will host its first live performance in three months with the long-awaited opening on Wednesday of fabulous Australian musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert by renowned local theatre company Metropolitan Players.

Civic Theatre Manager Leonie Wallace said the timing was perfect for a return to the theatre, with further easing of restrictions from today allowing even more people to experience the joy of live performance.
“COVID-19 brought our vibrant industry to a halt, with the restrictions and shut-downs a blow for performing artists and production companies such as the Metropolitan Players, who were relying on this show to secure their future beyond this production,” Ms Wallace said.
“The staging of our first live performance on Wednesday could not have been better timed, with the new Public Health Order that will be in effect allowing us to resume with 100 per cent capacity for fully vaccinated audience members.
“Reopening the theatre will provide a much-needed boost to the city’s night-time economy in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions, while also allowing us to support our local performing arts community.
“It also paves the way for a fantastic launch of our new subscription season on December 1.”
While audience numbers will be able to return to pre-COVID levels, theatregoers will still be subject to COVID safe measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff, customers and performers. This will include the mandatory wearing of masks inside Civic Theatre for anyone aged 12 years or older, which will apply until the end of December 2021.
Tickets for all upcoming shows, including the seven performances of Priscilla, are now on sale, giving Novocastrians their first chance to experience the Civic Theatre’s new ticket counter, now located in the heart of the historic building.
Face-to-face ticket sales have moved from the Hunter Street box office into a bespoke new space adjacent to the Civic Theatre Café, which was designed by EJE Architects to compliment the unique mix of historical and contemporary elements within the Theatre.
Online ticket sales for all shows at the Civic Theatre, the Playhouse and City Hall Concert Hall are also still available through the Civic Theatre website.

A man and a woman will face court today following an aggravated break and enter in the state’s north.
About 1.50am today (Monday 8 November 2021) a man and a woman – both aged 23-years-old – forced entry into a house on Beresfield Road, Beresfield.
The occupants of the home – a man and a woman – who were asleep at the time, were awoken to sounds of items being knocked over.
Their 8-year-old child was also home at the time, but no-one was injured.
A short time later, police attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and located the man and woman walking down Beresfield Road.
They were taken to Maitland Police Station where they were charged with aggravated break and enter in company.
They were bail refused and will appear before Maitland Local Court today (Monday 8 November 2021).